Micro-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are rapidly expanding into tasks from inventory to environmental sensing, yet their short endurance and unreliable navigation in GPS-denied spaces limit deployment. Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) drones offer an energy-efficient alternative: they use a helium envelope to provide buoyancy, which enables near-zero-power drain during hovering and much longer operation. LTAs are promising, but their design is complex, and they lack integrated solutions to enable sustained autonomous operations and navigation with simple, low-infrastructure. We propose a compact, self-sustaining LTA drone that uses light for both energy harvesting and navigation. Our contributions are threefold: (i) a high-fidelity simulation framework to analyze LTA aerodynamics and select a stable, efficient configuration; (ii) a framework to integrate solar cells on the envelope to provide net-positive energy; and (iii) a point-and-go navigation system with three light-seeking algorithms operating on a single light beacon. Our LTA-analysis, together with the integrated solar panels, not only saves energy while flying, but also enables sustainable operation: providing 1 minute of flying time for every 4 minutes of energy harvesting, under illuminations of 80klux. We also demonstrate robust single-beacon navigation towards a light source that can be up to 7m away, in indoor and outdoor environments, even with moderate winds. The resulting system indicates a plausible path toward persistent, autonomous operation for indoor and outdoor monitoring. More broadly, this work provides a practical pathway for translating the promise of LTA drones into a persistent, self-sustaining aerial system.

翻译：微型无人机正迅速扩展至从库存管理到环境监测的各类任务，然而其在GPS拒止环境下的短续航与不可靠导航限制了实际部署。轻于空气无人机提供了一种高能效替代方案：通过氦气囊提供浮力，实现悬停期间的近零功耗与更长运行时间。尽管前景广阔，但LTA无人机设计复杂，且缺乏能够以简单、低基础设施需求实现持续自主运行与导航的集成解决方案。本文提出一种紧凑型自持式LTA无人机，利用光能同时进行能量收集与导航。我们的贡献包括三方面：(i) 建立高保真仿真框架以分析LTA空气动力学并选择稳定高效的结构构型；(ii) 开发在气囊表面集成太阳能电池以实现净能量增益的框架；(iii) 构建基于单光源信标的指向-飞行导航系统，搭载三种寻光算法。我们的LTA分析与集成太阳能面板不仅能在飞行中节约能量，更可实现持续运行：在80klux照度下，每进行4分钟能量收集即可提供1分钟飞行时间。实验同时验证了在室内外环境中（包括中等风力条件下）对最远7米外光源的鲁棒单信标导航能力。该集成系统为室内外监测任务的持久自主运行提供了可行路径。更广泛而言，本研究为将LTA无人机的应用潜力转化为持久自持的空中系统提供了实践途径。